LEDs have several advantages over conventional incandescent lamps. For one thing, they don't have a filament that will burn out, so they last much longer.

The main advantage is efficiency. In conventional incandescent bulbs, the light-production process involves generating a lot of heat (the filament must be warmed). This is completely wasted energy, unless you're using the lamp as a heater, because a huge portion of the available electricity isn't going toward producing visible light. LEDs generate very little heat, relatively speaking. A much higher percentage of the electrical power is going directly to generating light, which cuts down on the electricity demands considerably. You'll never have to worry about leaving your interior lights on over night and running out your battery as they use 1/10 of the amount of electricity as incandescents.

(Though technically not classified as interior lights, I classify them in this category due to their part numbers being similar and/or in the same category as interior bulbs.)

License Plate (Bulb# 168) (Quantity = 2) (Recommended Style: Flank)

Underhood (Bulb# 561) (Quantity = 1) (99'-01' Only)

Color Temperatures:

Once you get your bulb# numbers and kind of LED's you will be purchasing, You will find that there are two main color temperatures that most LED's are sold as. 5K, is a pure white and a color that you will like if going for a luxury look or just want better lighting in general. 6K, is still whitish light but with a tint of blue to it. 6K is best for people looking for a custom/cool look while still getting a much needed improvement in lighting. All other colors offered do not meet the Lumen outputs of either 5K or 6K.

5K Festoon

6K Festoon

5K Interior

6K Interior

5K Interior Angle

6K Interior Angle

Load Resistors:

LED bulbs may cause some newer vehicles to indicate a bulb is burnt out (because of their low power consumption). This can be remedied with load resistors to simulate a filament bulb load. One way to test this is to pull out one of your bulbs, if you get a bulb out warning you will need load resistors. Some owners opt to ignore this problem when replacing all of their interior lights with LED's. Without a load resistor your LED's never really shut off and will stay on very dimly. While some owners could care less, If you have an attention to detail or want to properly do your setup, a lot of owners mount a load resistor inside and above their rear cargo light.

Note: I just wanted to make a simple guide that would help new owner's who are interested in replacing their incandescent bulbs with LED's as well has helping them make an informed decision about which reputable/high quality sellers to purchase from. All credit for the pictures goes to WJJeeps.com, An ever growing/evolving knowledge base about the WJ (1999-2004). If I missed anything or you would like to see something added, Feel free to Private Message me. I will be adding more every so often as long as it's relevant.

(I like to think I'm pretty knowledgeable in the area of lighting so if anyone needs any extra or specialized help feel free to PM me.)

Re: An Introductory Guide To Upgrading Your WJ's Interior Lighting to LED

Quote:

Originally Posted by StoneCold

Great write up!

I've done all my interior, but I'm now looking into doing the dash lights in blue, to match my gauge pod. So far I've only come up with these bulbs; Are these correct as I'm not 100% convinced they are. I'm impatient, so trying to source these in the UK.

Re: An Introductory Guide To Upgrading Your WJ's Interior Lighting to LED

I reread you post about being impatient. Based on what the twist connections look like on the gauge circuit board, I would say no, those are not correct. I would go with v-leds or superbrightleds and try and be patient! haha